The Black Dragon Gear
by DivineDemonDragon
Summary: Temporary One-Shot: What if there was more to the Black Bow than there seemed? As an instrument tied to the godess of Night, Darkness and Death, one really should've expected as much. Upon taking up his heirloom, Tigre gains great power, at a shaky price. TigrexHarem, Butterfly Effect Difference to Cannon. (As in, little difference at first, which leads to much bigger differences.)
1. Prologue

**AN: This is one of several stories that I'm getting out of my head so that I can work on the others better. Enjoy!**

As Tigrevurmund Vorn a.k.a. Tigre took hold of the Black Bow in Titta's hands, he felt a rush of raw energy fill and envelope his forearm, as the bow glowed pure black.

"What the-?!"

For a moment, the glow overpowered their sight before receding. When Tigre looked at his arm, his eyes grew wide, as did Titta's.

His entire forearm was covered in a sort of black, skintight, scale gauntlet with overlapping plates that didn't even feel like he was wearing it. The fingertips were clawed, the back of the hand was adorned with a jewel, seven plate segments ran down the arm, each having a smaller jewel positioned in a line to one another and to the largest. The jewels' colors were difficult to determine, they reminded Tigre of how lamps looked when their flames were out. Along the sides he saw the two halves of the original bow, albeit with additional parts jutting so that they were hinged at his wrist, looking as though an unknown mechanism might make them swing into place. Turning his hand, he saw a slot near his elbow where something suspiciously similar to an arrowhead was sticking out.

Giving into temptation, he pulled it out. It was in fact an entire, black arrow, but he was not familiar with the materials. They felt like bone, but looked like a black metal, such as what the gauntlet was made of, for the tip and the same mysterious black wood as the main bow for the shaft. He decided to pocket it for later.

"Um, Tigre-sama?"

He looked at Titta's concerned face. "What just happened?"

"I don't know," he replied honestly, "but..."

He stretched out his arm, the two bow-halves snapping out into place so that he could grasp the handle as he did before. A string materialized in place, taunting the bow. The scale-like plates elongated, giving the gauntlet a fiercely serrated appearance. The jewels simply moved with the plates they were fastened to. The sequence reminded Tigre of when Ellen draws her sword – Arifal, wasn't it?

Closing his eyes, he reached out with his drawing hand and flicked the string. A low hum reverberated through the empty town, and the bow gave him a feeling of respect and acceptance.

Off to the side, Mashas beheld the sight, and asked: "Urz-sama, did you know of this? That the young lord, your son, would invoke such a thing from that bow?"


	2. Chapter 1

**AN: Sorry about that prologue, short ain't it? No wonder no one has even followed this yet. ; _ ;**

 **Hope this will help with that. Enjoy!**

 _ **The battle for Alsace**_

Tigre was at the after-battle conference at his own table together with Zhcted Vanadis Eleonora Viltaria, a.k.a. Ellen, and her aide Limalisha (short Lim). Standing by were Bertrand by Tigre and the Zhcted knight Rurik by Ellen, still bald as he had promised. Titta was downstairs, preparing a meal for them.

According to Lim, Ellen's army that Tigre had 'hired' defeated 300 Brune soldiers, those not captured having rejoined the main force out west of the town.

"And...what of the enemy commander?" asked the albino Vanadis.

"It is unfortunate, but he managed to get away," replied her blond friend.

"Hrm, well, can't be helped."

Comparing Zion Thernadier's remaining forces with what they could afford without endangering the town revealed a similar ratio that failed to keep Ellen from winning the Battle of Dinant after which she caught Tigre.

Still, she asked the Brunian minor lord for advice, and he decided that Zane would try for the Molsheim plains, where the mounted knights could be used best.

Ellen and Lim agreed that it would be a good place to settle things, and reaffirmed their will for victory with Tigre.

While discussing further details, Lim asked for some rope for an idea of hers. Titta volunteered to rally the remaining towns people, mostly women and children, to contribute.

Tirge immediately trusted her with the job, but her attitude towards Ellen was strange for him, and soon, him alone. Especially after her last outburst.

'Won't lose at what, exactly?'

Poor fool has no idea what he's in for.

At that point, Tigre came up with his own little surprise for Zion, and he couldn't deny to himself that he would have loved to see the look on the guy's face once it came to fruition.

As he stood up, Rurik blurted: "Forgive me, Tigre-sama, but..."

Pointing to the Brune lord's left arm, he asked: "What might that be?"

Ellen and Lim also looked at him expectantly, having noticed the strange 'gauntlet'.

"Ah," Tigre that of how he could explain best, "let me show you, first."

Holding out his hand, he activated the bow, to the awe of the Zhctedians, and partial unease of Ellen.

"A collapsible bow?" wondered Lim.

"It didn't used to be like this, it was just an unusual bow."

"An excellent weapon, as expected of Tigre-sama!"

Ignoring Rurik's praise, Ellen asked: "Where did it come from?"

Bertrand explained: "No one who lives rightly knows, it has been in the Vorn family for many a generation."

Ellen raised her brow at that.

"If it is such an heirloom, then why did you not have it when I captured you?"

"My honorable father made me vow not to use it unless it was absolutely necessary."

"And now it is?" questioned Lim.

"Limalisha-sama, if I may," interjected Rurik, "Is not now exactly the time of which the previous Earl Vorn may have spoken of? What greater cause is there to take up arms for than to defend one's home and people?"

Tigre wondered why Rurik felt the need to say that, when he remembered that Ellen and Lim had once been mercenaries, soldiers with no place to call home.

In the time that Ellen has been a Vanadis, however, they've come to understand the feeling of wanting to protect such a thing, instead of just wanting for it.

"So where was the mention of a magic bow when I asked you for your abilities?" came Ellen with her usual smile, coming for a closer look.

Tigre collapsed the bow again, raising both hands in surrender and smiling wryly: "I honestly had no idea that this would happen—"

Without warning, Arifal activated, whipping together a string of wind towards the Black Bow. But instead of harming, the wind was absorbed by the jewel that was the second furthest from his hand, causing it to glow blue like deep water.

"Arifal?!" exclaimed Ellen.

By then, the phenomenon was over, and the sword went dormant. Tigre noted that the large jewel on his hand also glowed the same blue, though only partially. Also, it gave off the feeling of being...not alive, per se, but definitely not an inanimate object.

"...Just, what...?"

Tigre and Lim's plots had worked flawlessly, even with the surprise Earth Dragon which Ellen took care of. Though unexpected, Zion's challenge was just what Tigre had secretly wanted – to personally make the disgusting bastard pay for attacking his home, his people, and especially Titta – Tigre figured out from the state of her outfit what the Dukeling had tried to do.

Looking closely, he felt the corner of his lips tug as he observed Zion carrying his arms in reverse due to the injured hand. Conversely, his fellow countrymen finally got a good look at Tigre's new weapon, and flinched when he revealed its true shape.

"Are you mocking me, Vorn?!" shouted Zion, having made note of said armament, "You don't duel with bows!"

"You challenged me," replied Tigre, no less loudly, but far more calmly, "I've chosen my weapon. Unless you will surrender after all?"

He smirked, dropping his quiver and knocking the black arrow in place.

This enraged Zion, who charged straight away.

"Fine! Have it your way, you bow using cowar-!"

With those words, Zion fell backwards off of his horse, misaligning the holes in his shield and head. Back by the Brune army, the Wyvern roared in pain, anger and fear from the arrow lodged in its lower right arm.

When Tigre decided to use the black arrow, he had an idea that it was high quality enough to go straight through Zion's shield. But even he was caught off guard by what had happened.

Not only did the Dukeling never know what hit him, but the _dragon_ was wounded as well. And while its hide wasn't quite as tough as its dead partner's, it was still a full-grown dragon.

The creature's rampage frightened men and especially horses all around it as the flying reptile tried to shake out the offending projectile.

"Shit! Everyone, get away from here!" cried Ellen in an attempt to keep her troops halfway orderly, unlike Zion's former army, whose panicked members could not hear their commanders bellowing for order. And that's ignoring the men who were killed by the frenzied dragon.

Tigre grit his teeth. If that thing headed to Alsace like this, it would be his own fault whoever died from it. Jumping off of the horse, he reached for another arrow, but hesitated when he realized that, by itself, it would do no good.

" _Shoot the dragon._ "

The Earl started, looking around for the woman who said that.

" _Thou wishes to fend for thy volk, no? Shoot, young Lord._ "

Tigre looked down at the Black Bow, from whi—no, _through_ which the voice came. With newfound determination, he knocked the arrow, and drew the bowstring.

Right then, the same wind that Arifal had produced in the war-room came from the jewel that absorbed it, its glow holding strong as the wind wrapped itself around the projectile, streaked with wisps of pure black.

Releasing the arrow, Tigre watched it become a small whirlwind not dissimilar to Ellen's _Ley Admos_ , flying into _and through_ the Wyvern's torso, severing its neck and injured arm from the rest of the body.

Seeing their last dragon die, the Brune army finally settled down, their will to fight broken and ready to be routed.

"Tigre has slain Zion Thernadier and his dragon!" Ellen exclaimed, raising Arifal high into the air to signal their victory.

Watching her men gather the prisoners, Ellen couldn't help but look at Tigre's Black Bow. It unsettled her in ways she could logically reason, and calmed her in ways she couldn't.

What unsettled her was both the uncanny resemblance and the differences between it and the Viralt.

Each Viralt chose its own master. As long as they had a personality acceptable for it, the weapon didn't care if it was family or a complete stranger to its previous owner. If the Viralt was no longer satisfied with its Vanadis, it would leave. End of story.

While the Black Bow also chose its master, the method was completely different. In the most extreme case, possession of it was limited to blood relatives of its previous master, but in order to unleash its true power, it had to accept the new owner like a Viralt. What worried Ellen most was what might happen to Tigre if he lost its favor – from what she could tell, the weapon was _fused_ with his arm, and he was not likely to be rid of it alive.

 **AN: I'm still on the fence whether or not to really start working on this and other projects I've given a sneek peek of, but I am still working on the ongoing ones. See you next time!**


End file.
